Gently I'll Wake You
by Dana-Eliza
Summary: After being locked up in a pod for months, Ken has quite a lot to figure out. Not remembering how he got there was one of the main issues, but what bothered him the most was how much they had all drifted apart. And he doesn't quite understand why Kari, but mostly TK were no longer part of his life. TKxKen, What happens after Tri?
1. Prologue

I finally watched Digimon Tri! Took me years, and apparently I decided at the right time, because I didn't have to wait for the next movie... But it was beautiful and made me very happy, unfortunately there was one thing missing. My favourite boy. So I want to write something for my favourite boy and my favourite ship, and also answer my own questions a bit. So hopefully you'll like my take on it, even if this is just the prologue :D

I'll also get back to updating my other stories soon... But I needed some Digimon in my life... It remains one of my favourite fandoms.

...

Over and over had he thought about it. But he could not put his finger on it. Where had it all gone wrong? How had they ended up where they had? Most of it was a blur, but who could blame him? Being kept asleep for months took its toll on one's body, and he was still feeling the after affects of that.

The strangest part had been waking up in the middle of the street, without any recollection on how he had gotten there. He had seen his friends lying beside him, and he had tried to reach out, but couldn't lift his arm. Opened his mouth to call out to them, but no sound left his lips. The panic he felt he saw mirrored in Yolei's eyes. Bystanders had called for an ambulance and once in the hospital they learned that their bodies were reacting as if they had been in a coma. And hearing how much time had passed, they could've very well been in a coma.

It wasn't until the other Digi-destined came to visit that they had gotten the gist of what had actually happened. Though it still didn't make much sense. As far as Ken could remember, he had been having dinner with his parents, and after that it had all been a blur. Snippets were coming back to him through nightmares he rather not have. Fights where their Digimon perished, where Wormmon…

"Ken, aren't you hungry?"

He had been staring at his plate for who knows how long. It happened quite often, and it worried his mother to no end. Something Ken didn't want to cause, but with everything that had happened, very difficult to avoid. Lifting his gaze up Ken met his mother's eyes, and noticed the frown on her forehead. The worry lines around her eyes had deepened as well, making her appear older than she really is. "Sorry, I got distracted," Ken replied possibly a bit too late, shooting his parents his familiar smile before finally eating.

The thing was that he was hungry, but he hardly noticed. The signals the brain had to send to his stomach to give him the hungry feeling were still not working well. The doctor said that may take a while. His body had gotten lazy after being fed through tubes for so long.

Excusing himself right after dinner was something Ken had done in the past a lot, so his parents didn't think much of it. But it was different now. Before he had done so to get to the Digital World and hang out with his friends. For some reason none of them had reached out to get back in contact with each other. Ken thought it had to do with their memory, or lack thereof. None of them remembered what had happened, no matter how many times Tai had explained it to them. It was scary to not know, and avoiding each other meant avoiding the subject. It made things easier, and harder at the same time.

Closing his bedroom door Ken shut the world out as he did often now. With a deep sigh he sat down in his desk chair, closing his eyes as he tried to recover the energy he had lost merely from sitting down with his parents. Everything was exhausting nowadays.

A beep rose up from his desk, his phone receiving a message. As Ken cast a look down his eyes fell on his D3, the black metal shimmering slightly in the dull light coming from his desk lamp. It had appeared in the mail a week back. Ken was sure he had lost it forever, and would never be able to let Wormmon Digivolve again. Not that he had seen Wormmon recently. Ken was too afraid to go back to the Digi world. Too afraid of what he might find there. It seemed the others shared that same feeling, considering none of them had returned.

Ignoring his D3 as he had done every day for the past week, Ken reached for his phone. A text from Davis. They hadn't spoken in weeks. Were they even still best friends? Ken guessed they were. They still shared something, and with everything that had happened, perhaps even more.

 _Kari says I should get out more and not just play videogames on the computer. So I told her I wasn't going out all by myself. And now we're invited to some kind of picknick at the beach or the park or something with all the others. And you have to come, because I don't want to go by myself._

Very unlike Davis to not want to go by himself, but Ken understood. Davis was probably not doing any better than Ken was, though Davis did have the tendency to recover faster. Still Ken smiled, feeling some familiarity in the message Davis had sent. Feeling part of what they once had.

 _If I don't have to travel too far, I'll come._

That was what Ken dreaded too. He hadn't minded living far away from the rest before, but traveling by train now was too much. Perhaps later one he would step onto the platform with ease again, but for now he preferred to refrain from that. And to be honest, it may just be an excuse to maybe not join them after all. The thought of being confronted about everything that had happened was too much to bear still.

It took some time before Ken got another message. He assumed it was because Davis was trying to figure out where they were going, plus hitting on Kari at the same time. Even if he still wasn't good at it, he at least got better. Didn't mean it actually worked.

 _Hey Ken, I asked Matt to come pick you up with his scooter, so you don't have to worry about traveling to us. We're getting together on Saturday, and he'll be at your place around noon!_

That was TK instead of Davis. If he thought it had been a long time since he last spoke to Davis, it was even worse with TK. In the hospital they had seen each other a few times, but never shared many words. And before that it had been even longer. At some point they had lost contact. It was still strange how that happened. They went from saving the world together to almost strangers. TK even lived in the same building as Yolei and Cody, and even they hadn't gotten together much in the last year. Why had they grown apart so much? Had their friendship not been as meaningful as Ken thought it had. But it's not like he had reached out either. It's not like he took the extra step to hang out with TK, or Kari for that matter.

And now a message had come in, acting as if they were still good friends. As if nothing had changed between them. But there was so much that still bothered Ken about this whole situation, with one thing standing out.

Why weren't TK and Kari with them in those pods?

...

What did you think? Liked it so far? Intrigued for the rest?

If you want to know when I am writing, I usually post about it in my instagram story :D So follow me at: for updates on that!

Love, Dana


	2. Chapter 2

This is all turning so angsty XD Well, I guess Ken is a bit angsty though... And I´ve answered some questions for myself in this chapter, so I am quite happy with the outcome! Ugh I love writing Ken... Now enjoy!

...

"So everyone should be here then."

Saturday had come a lot faster than Ken had anticipated. He had tried to come up with excuses to not have to come, but after Davis had called him, he knew he had to. Davis had practically pleaded with him to be there, and it was not in the friendly teasing way Ken was used to. It was much deeper than that. Davis didn't want to be there without Ken, and Ken didn't really want to be there without Davis either.

So here they now were. Izzy had been counting heads as they stood in front of the gate entrance to the park. Everyone was here, even their Digimon dressed in tiny rain coats and weird dresses that didn't hide their appearance much. Only Davis, Cody, Yolei, and he were without partner. No one dared to say something about it.

"Let's find a nice spot somewhere in the shade and get this picknick started," Tai said as he led the way. The group followed suit, excited hums escaping some of them.

Ken didn't follow as quick, nor did the rest of the second batch of Digi destined. Davis seemed to be doing alright physically, walking just a tat faster than the rest. Yolei was just slow, as Ken was, moving just a bit too carefully perhaps. As if they were about to fall over. It was Cody who still had it the worst. One of his legs was still a bit stiff, and hurt when he put too much pressure on it, so Cody still walked with a cane. Physical therapy was not over for them, not for a long time.

"So have you been holding up ever since you got home?" Yolei asked, shooting a glance to Ken who walked beside her.

A sigh escaped him as he thought of the situation at home. "My mom worries a lot, which is not out of the ordinary. But I just can't keep assuring her. I hardly understand what is even wrong with me."

"I don't think we'll ever really know," Cody pitched in.

They had finally reached the others, who were already throwing blankets down on the ground to sit on, and spreading out food everyone brought. Ken's mother had made cookies, because she was so ecstatic Ken was meeting friends again. Thankfully Matt had carried them.

"You know what bothers me most?" Yolei said, an almost sad look had appeared on her face as she looked down at the picknick blanket. A few of the others were now paying attention to their conversation as well, surprise in their eyes as they noticed Yolei's tone. "My family is being really sweet to me, and not pressuring me into anything at all. I've never seen them do so much for me to be honest. But…" She paused for a second as she wrapped her arms around her frame. "When we talked about how long I had been gone, it was like they didn't even know I was. And it feels like they are just taking care of me, because they feel guilty over that. Over the fact that they hadn't even missed their sister, their own daughter. And I just don't understand how that can happen."

Ken understood what she was talking about, had experienced the same thing at home. The guilt… He could feel it wafting off his parents whenever he asked something about what had happened during all those months. But it wasn't just there that he felt it, he felt it right here too. The guilt of the Digi destined.

Reaching out Ken placed a hand on Yolei's shoulder, giving it a supportive squeeze. "Unfortunately I think we'll never know that either," he mimicked Cody.

"I think I may know why you weren't missed." From his position on the blanket at the other end Tai looked up at the four of them, a strong gaze in his eyes. "I stumbled upon you right before our final battle, and it seemed as if we just found you by accident, but I don't think it was."

Beside him sat Izzy. He had been typing away on his computer, but his fingers had halted right above the keys as he shot a confused look Tai's way. "What do you mean?"

"Well, why would we find them right before the final battle? Why would we stumble upon them when they can no longer help us?" Tai let his questions linger a little longer, letting them sink in as everyone thought about it.

Before Tai could continue his story, Cody interrupted him, looking rather embarrassed as he avoided looking at anyone. "I don't want to be rude, and sorry for interrupting, but I really would like to sit down now, and…"

"We need help," Ken finished for him. "Sitting down on chairs and couches is fine, but the ground is still a bit too low. So if someone could support our weight a little, we'd appreciate it."

Ken hadn't even finished speaking when several members of the group had jumped to their aid. Kari and Sora were slowly lowering Yolei to the ground and made sure she was sitting comfortably on the blanket. Beside her Cody was helped by Joe, while Mimi kept his leg stretched. Davis was assisted by Tai, which did not go as smoothly, and both ended on the floor in the end in a weird heap. And Ken was helped by the two brothers, Matt on one side and TK on the other. Even if he was the one who asked for help, it still felt weird to have them carry his weight as he was lowered to the ground. A blush dusted his cheeks as he murmured a quick thank you.

A hand brushed his hair to the side to see his face, and that was when Ken dared to meet TK's gaze. That familiar warm and welcoming smile was on his lips, one Ken had trouble with understanding, but it made his heart flutter nonetheless. "Are you feeling alright? Or can I get you something soft to sit on?" TK asked, keeping their gazes locked.

"N-no, I'm fine, thank you," Ken replied, trying to smile as genuine as TK did, but he never could quite muster. It made TK linger a little longer, just to be sure Ken was indeed fine.

It was Tai who pulled their attention back to the conversation they were having in the end. TK did remain seated beside Ken, with Patamon in his lap, blue eyes focused on Tai. "So as I was saying it doesn't really make sense that we'd find them now, unless someone wanted us to find them. I think Gennai chose this moment, so we'd realise we could've had help before. If we had just tried to find you earlier, we would've stopped everything from happening much sooner. Maybe we then wouldn't even have…" Tai didn't finish his sentence, and Ken wasn't sure what wouldn't have been done then, but feeling a fresh sadness settle in the group he knew not to ask.

"But that only answers why you found us when you did," Yolei said, breaking the sadness. "Not why you didn't remember us before." She told them exactly as it was now, being far more upfront than Ken. They had forgotten about the four of them, and hadn't searched for them at all. That was not something to blow over so easily.

"You're right," Izzy now spoke rather than Tai. "I know what Tai is getting at. We've talked about it a few times before when we tried to figure out what actually happened. Not just with you, but also with us. Everything we've been through was for a reason, and we found out we were tricked as well. We made decisions which were not beneficial for us at all, but we still made them." Izzy was now talking a bunch, but was still not providing them with answers. Yolei was shifting with impatience, an annoyed look on her face, ready to spit some venom. But then finally Izzy spoke the right words. "The ones who tricked us were also normal humans. People who seemed government affiliated, or they at least had the same powers as the government has. And they purposely didn't tell us you were missing, while they even knew where you were. I think they may have fed us something to make us forget, make your families forget. I don't know what, but I'm sure they'd have the abilities."

Everyone stayed quiet after that. It seemed logical, and would make sense with the stories the group had told the four of them. Ken didn't remember all of them, his brain still not able to save every memory. But if someone already goes through the trouble of putting them away in pods, then they would also make the effort of not letting others search for them. The only important blank was still how they got in those pods in the first place, but there wasn't really anyone who could answer those questions for them.

"Okay, that does make me feel a little better," Yolei admitted, a small smile on her lips. "At least we were in a way important."

"Of course you are important," Tai announced, that familiar resolute tone in his voice. One Ken hadn't heard in a long time. "You are still Digi destined."

The whole group was staring at the four of them, wearing supportive smiles as they nodded at Tai's words. As if it really meant something. But they still didn't feel like a part of this group. They were not as close to everyone. Had not gone through the horrors they had all gone through. They had not been chosen as support for the last mission. Instead they had been in the way and had to be locked away, so they could no longer bother anyone.

A hand reached for his and squeezed it, showing even more support, but it just didn't come across right. "And we're also friends," TK said, and that was the line for Ken. His blue eyes snapped towards TK, meeting that soft smile with a hard look. Normally he wouldn't have said anything, but with everything that had happened, he couldn't keep it in any longer.

"Are we?"

There had been a time where he never thought he'd be so lucky to have friends, and then a time had come where he had more friends than he could count. But now, now he wasn't so sure he did have that many left.

"What do you mean? Of course we are," TK replied, wearing a confused frown similar to the rest of the group. None of them got it. None of them had even realised it. And Ken couldn't blame all of them. Most were a few years older and didn't really share much with them anymore. But there were two in the group who had mattered a lot to them. And they had vanished.

Next to him the other three shifted uncomfortably, but their silence meant they agreed with Ken, and it was Cody who in the end started with the explanation. "Well, we haven't seen you all in a very long time. Even before you forgot about us, you had already kind of forgotten about us in a way."

"It's not like we hung out a lot before," Davis added. "Although we did meet up after school almost every day for a long time. And then suddenly we didn't anymore."

"It just seemed like you didn't really want to be friends with us anymore," Yolei ended, hugging her body again as a comforting gesture to herself.

It was then that one of the Digimon decided to mix themselves into the conversation. One who wasn't the smartest, but still often knew the right thing to say. Ken wasn't so sure if that was the case this time. "But it doesn't matter how long you haven't seen each other! You can still be friends. Even if I don't see Tai for a long time, he will still always be my best friend." Agumon's green eyes glanced up at Tai fondly, strengthening his words.

"That's right!" Biyomon said, beating her wings to lift herself up in front of Sora. "I will always love Sora, no matter how far away she is."

"And I know I will always have Kari's lap to crawl onto," Gatomon added. More and more Digimon spoke up, sharing their own opinions on friendship and love. And their partners felt the love, and hugged the Digimon close as they whispered their own confessions of friendships.

There was only one who had noticed the four had not said a word. Had instead turned into themselves as they ignored the Digimon's words. "Guys, I think you haven't noticed that four of you are missing," TK said, addressing the Digimon around.

All eyes turned to the lost Digi destined. The ones who had been locked away in pods for months. Who had no memory of what had happened before or after. There were only glimpses in which they couldn't say what it meant. But every glimpse Ken had, scared him, fearing what it actually meant. And that was why they hadn't said anything. Why they hadn't spoken up about their own Digimon. Because they feared on what it could all mean.

"Where are your Digimon?" Patamon asked curiously, staring up at Ken's face as silent tears streamed down his cheeks.

"We don't know," he gritted out.

...

The mystery of the Digimon... Where do you think they are?


	3. Chapter 3

Time for a new chapter for this one! Mostly just a push in the right way...

...

The picnic hadn't lasted long after that. Four of them too sombre to really participate in any happy conversation, and the rest of them too guilt stricken over the fact that they had brought their Digimon with them. Not the most tactful thing they had ever done. They simply wanted to relish in the companionship of their partner, for as long as it lasted.

Ken hadn't want to go home yet though. His mother would welcome him with open arms and make him as comfortable as Ken wished, but he wouldn't miss her look. The sad expression she'd wear, because he didn't stay with his friends longer. She had hoped hanging out with friends would give him extra energy and motivation, so that he would heal quicker. Such things didn't happen when there was this much tension between all of them.

It was all just not the same.

Going home with Davis was also not the same, but far more familiar than any other moment so far. As soon as Davis opened the door to his house, Ken could hear his sister yelling one or two profanities at him. Something about dirty laundry on the bathroom floor. The antics here hadn't changed and perhaps that was better. When you were treated the same as before, you'd be the same person as before. Or something like that.

"We can just play some videogames and then Jun can take you home later," Davis said after the fight was over, starting a new one right away.

His sister had been sitting on the couch, hair wrapped in a towel, bathrobe the only clothes she wore. With a huff she turned back to Davis, instant dark look in her eyes. "Just because I have my license now, doesn't mean I'll drive you around, twerp! I'm not your chauffeur!"

"No, you're his!" Davis fired back, pointing his thumb at Ken's chest.

That was the moment Jun realised it was not just Davis who had come home. Her eyes widened slightly, and a light blush dusted her cheeks as she gazed over at Ken. And Ken really did not want to be the instigator to another fight, so politely bowed down and greeted her. "It's very nice to see you again, Jun. It's been a while."

It seemed that at first Jun wanted to explode again at her brother for not saying anything, but she ended up being too flustered after Ken greeted her. She sprung up from the couch and swiftly moved past them, muttering under her breath. "Yes, you too. I will take you home later. Now I'll go get dressed." And with that she disappeared into her room.

"She's so weird," Davis accused, flopping down on the couch with controller in hand.

A sight Ken had often seen before. Davis really enjoyed playing his videogame, and Ken assumed it was one of the only things Davis had done during their recovery. It was a sentiment really. Something to hold onto. Some normalcy. And Ken appreciated it in his own way, finding comfort in this sense of familiarity. How often had he sat beside Davis, playing the game together, competing in ways only they could? Ken would laugh at Davis' antics, and Davis would fake bicker with him, knowing it was all meant with a good heart.

So, Ken flopped down right next to Davis with the second controller, easing right back in their normal behaviour. It was nice like this, to have a friend that grounded you this much.

Time passed by as they moved through different levels, their little icons cooperating at times, and at times not at all. Davis was lounging back into his seat, legs dangling far over the edge. He was practised at not falling from the couch, no matter how little of you was still on it. Ken was far more reserved and was still in the same position as before, neatly seated right beside Davis. Also, a very normal situation for the both of them. There wasn't much that would actually get his attention at this point. They had barely noticed Jun leaving an hour later, their minds wrapped in a new obstacle the game provided them with. The only thing that eventually pierced through their game clouded minds was the doorbell ringing.

"Jun, get the door," Davis called over his shoulder, eyes still glued to the screen, fingers pressing several buttons to move to the next dungeon.

"She's not here," Ken muttered to Davis, making a high jump to avoid being hit by a bomb of some kind. It hit Davis' character right in the face as the other was no longer paying attention. The jingle of having lost rose up from the tv-screen, mocking them as it had done a few times already in this level.

"Wait, but she's supposed to take you home," Davis said confused. The doorbell rang again, and this time Davis did jump up, groaning under the sudden pressure on his legs. Not as mobile as Ken thought Davis was. A bit wobbly Davis made his way to the front door, still muttering things about sisters leaving at times they shouldn't.

When Davis entered the hallway, Ken could no longer hear him. The only sound he heard was the door opening, and eventually closing again. Curiously Ken waited for the hallway door to open again and see who was at the door. Not a very polite thing to do, but something Ken could not stop himself from. The sight that greeted him was odd enough when Davis came back in, two other accompanying him.

"They apparently want to talk to us," Davis announced, hands lazily draped behind his head as he made his way back to the couch. The tension of before still lingered around them, making Kari and TK flinch under Davis' words. Perhaps the bite to it was what had caused it.

Silently they followed Ken's now moody friend. Davis had sat down in his previous spot again, this time sitting far more upright. The 'game over' screen flashed at them still, giving Ken an excuse to avoid looking at the other two. Kari had sat down on the floor opposite of them, a coffee table in between. TK remained standing, unsure if they really were invited to do so. Their Digimon were draped in their arms but remained quiet. It seemed they now understood why it was difficult for Ken and Davis to see them.

The smile Kari put up was a bit unsettling. It didn't quite reach her eyes and faltered somewhere halfway. "Sorry that we stopped by so out of the blue," she started saying, hugging Gatomon just a little closer. "We felt like there was still a lot left unsaid but didn't want to bring it up around the others."

"It's not really any of their business anyway," TK added, eyes glazed over as he stared out the balcony window.

Kari hummed at that, not fully agreeing with TK it seemed. "We wanted to say we're sorry for not being there for you all this time. We should've, but we weren't, and we don't really know why."

Even if it was Kari, Davis had a hard time accepting the apology. It stung. The way they had all grown apart, and hadn't seen each other for so long. Their friendships hadn't mattered much. And Ken could reason it away if he wanted to. Could find the excuses the other two needed. But that hardly seemed fair, and he didn't want to provide them with that. Didn't want to make them feel less guilty. And maybe that was petty of him, but after everything he had been through, he deserved a little pettiness.

"Is that all you had to say," Davis spat, making Kari cringe instantly. It was then Davis' turn to look guilty, not wanting to hurt the girl.

It was TK that broke the silence then, giving Kari a moment to breathe. "No, we have more," he started. "We know that we're at fault. After we saved the Digi world a few years ago, and any imminent threat seemed gone, there was less pressure to hang out with you. It seemed it all drifted apart from that point on.

"But you kept going to the Digi world, and stumbled upon something evil that had been lurking. We think you probably knew more than we did, and that's not right. We should've been there with you, but we can't fix that. So…" TK then moved from his position and walked towards the couch, sitting down right next to Ken with a soft smile on his lips. "We know we can't make this up to you, but we'll do our best to be there for you now."

A sappy promise, one Ken didn't really want. But he didn't have time to really think over. It was then that Patamon decided he wanted to be in Ken's lap. With a kind look on his face Patamon settled down and closed his eyes, as if this was the most peaceful moment. Caught off guard Ken only stared at the Digimon, hands raised up as to not touch him. It was TK who needed to guide him here, give the example on how to pet the Digimon.

After enough encouraging coming from TK Ken let his hand slide down Patamon's body. Starting on his forehead, sliding right between his winged ears, and ending at the tail. His fur was very sleek, but still soft, and nice to pet like this. The agreeing sounds Patamon made, did make it better as well. It wasn't the same as Wormmon, not at all. But after enough pets Ken couldn't contain himself, and hugged Patamon close, feeling the warmth pressed to his chest him.

It should've comforted Ken, even just a little, but as he slid his eyes up towards TK, the feeling never settled. The serene look TK wore, soft smile matching his kind blue eyes. The tilt of his face, the way his hand was now resting on Ken's thigh. It was meant as comfort, but Ken never could get comfortable with TK.

Ken could never grasp what TK was feeling. It reminded him of Davis sometimes, who was quite explosive, but didn't hold a grudge for very long. TK was still different though. He wasn't necessarily loud, like Davis, but more very settled in his emotions. Whatever he was feeling, he would portray. Anger would burst out at his intended target, and happiness would filter through every word he would say. It was happiness that overruled almost all of it. That familiar happy smile TK shot everyone. It was this soft one that was unsettling, because Ken didn't know what it meant. What emotion this could be.

"There is something else Kari and I have been discussing," TK said softly, breaking the silence after a few minutes.

Kari had gotten up too and was sitting at the edge of the coffee table, Gatomon perched on the arm rest of the couch to let Davis pet her carefully. "We will talk to Yolei and Cody as well," she said. "But we didn't want to overwhelm everyone at the same time."

"We know that you have no idea where Veemon and Wormmon are, and that you have no memory on what has happened," TK continued again. Ken kept his gaze on Patamon whom he was still hugging, not daring to look up at either of the two. He feared what they were about to say. "So, we thought it may be a good idea to go to the Digi world and see if it awakens some memories. We should also go look for them there."

It was all so kindly said and meant with the best intentions. It was even a good idea, really. Something Ken himself had considered too, but never made the move to follow through. And even now it was a scary thought to actually go there and find out what happened. Part of him already had its suspicions, knew what he would find there.

So instead of replying all Ken did was hug Patamon closer.

...

Let me know what you thought!


	4. Chapter 4

Last update of my Digimon stories! This is still a bit of a starting point, but it has some TK Ken in there :D Enjoy!

...

Planning on going to the Digital World appeared to be the most difficult part. Neither of the four really wanted to go, fearing what would wait for them there. It was nice to know Ken was not alone feeling this way, but it also strengthened his worry. Did those flashes of memory tell the truth? If so, Ken did not want to go back. Did not want to face what had happened there. It was childish to say, but he preferred to remain oblivious. They had gone through enough, and just thinking about what might've happened, made Ken's heart clench. They couldn't…

The doorbell rang.

Like every Wednesday afternoon Ken found himself home alone, his mother and father out at work. He was still unable to complete a full day at school, his energy level simply not large enough yet. The weakness had started to annoy him, but the one who had rung his doorbell possibly even more.

Shuffling towards the door Ken aimed to open it, as he had done so many times the last few weeks. Any day he would've been alone, his parents at work, someone would keep him company. They had promised they would be here for them now, and it seemed they intended to keep their promise. Ken wasn't sure if he was happy with it.

That familiar bright smile appeared as soon as the door opened, blue eyes almost sparkling in the afternoon sun. Ken didn't mimic the smile, didn't respond at all. Just stepped out of the way and let TK enter behind him, as he had done the day before. TK would leave his school right as the bell rang and hop on the first train to Ken's place. Ken could time it at this point, knowing whenever he would be here. It could've been endearing, if it hadn't felt so out of place. TK had never done these things for Ken. They had never really been very close. They were friends, yet, but Ken couldn't tell the last time TK had even been at his place. Not before all this at least.

"Hey, I brought some sweets," TK announced as he toed off his shoes, his backpack also abandoned among the clutter.

Something TK intended on doing every time he came over as well. Bring something. Usually food related. Ken did like the food TK brought, but he could not help and think there was an ulterior motive to it. It reminded him too much of his mother, who always claimed Ken didn't eat enough, guilt tripping him in eating more. And with the way TK's eyes sometimes burned on his skin, Ken was certain he was judging. Judging how skinny Ken was.

Entering the living room Ken turned to TK, a small smile on his lips, because no matter how much he didn't want to, TK's energy was very contagious. "What did you bring?" he asked, cocking his head to the side almost curiously. He didn't know if this was his manners pushing him to respond like this, or if he really wanted to know.

"Just some cakes from the local deli," TK admitted. "I have no idea if they are any good, but they looked alright."

"Should be fine," Ken reassured, and then turned to the kitchen door. "Can I get you something to drink?"

TK nodded first, absent glaze in his eyes. "Yeah, sounds good," he said. "We got to talk about something, by the way," he called after Ken disappeared into the kitchen.

The last bit Ken hadn't expected. Sadly, Ken had to admit that even though TK stopped by a few times a week, they never spoke much. Usually Ken would turn on the tv and they would watch whatever show was on in shared silence. Sometimes TK would hold Ken's hand, squeezing it from time to time with this unreadable expression on his face. Ken never dared to ask what could be amiss with the other. Here he rather remained ignorant as well. Such frowns could not mean anything good, especially not when found on a face that was used to smiling.

Grabbing two sodas from the fridge Ken stalled. The silence was sometimes very uncomfortable, but someone announcing they needed to talk seemed worse. A sentence usually connected to couple's breaking up. As far as Ken was aware of, they were not one, or his memory really must be playing tricks on him. So what could it be that TK wanted to discuss, saying it in such a way? No matter how long Ken stalled, no matter how much Ken wanted to avoid the answer, this one was going to be told no matter what.

"Here," Ken said, as he offered the can to TK, his smile having disappeared. TK's stayed on, trying to comfort Ken in a very simple way without needing to, yet. Two small plates were placed on the table, next to the cakes TK had recovered from his backpack. Ken didn't comment on the other sentence on purpose. This way he could pretend he hadn't heard, and TK would have to bring it up again. Maybe TK wouldn't dare, though Ken doubted that. TK had always been quite courageous.

TK plated the two cakes and gave the one with the most cream to Ken, because he was kind in that way. A simple gesture that made Ken feel uncomfortable. He would normally be the one to give the most cream to someone. But giving it back would seem insulting, and that was not what Ken wanted to achieve.

Sticking his finger in the cream, Ken focused on eating the cake, relishing in the sweet taste as he stuck the digit between his lips. Not a way to act around others, but they were both used to Davis, and anything was better than Davis' eating habits.

Ken could feel TK's eyes on him though. His smile had disappeared as he stared at the finger pressed between Ken's lips. When those bright blue eyes flickered up to meet Ken's, he granted him a small tug of the lips. One so different from the big one Ken was used to seeing. This one seemed to mean more, but Ken didn't know what. TK made so many questions rise, questions Ken didn't want to answer. "Do you like it?" TK said, small smile still playing on his lips as he referred to the cake. Ken merely nodded in return, which earned him a whispered "good."

In a familiar shared silence, they finished their sweets, and when Ken felt confident enough that TK was not going to bring things up yet, he reached for the remote control to turn on the television. It was then that he found a hand wrapped around his wrist, preventing him from doing so.

"I'd like to talk to you first, if that's okay," TK said softly. "We can watch tv afterwards if you'd like."

Carefully Ken pulled his arm back, heart racing in anticipation of what is about to come. The tone TK had used was too soft, too comforting to mean anything good. TK was trying to put Ken at ease even before they started discussing things. He decided not to say anything in return. Simply let TK take the lead here and say what he wanted to say.

"We, I mean Kari and I, have spoken to the other three, Yolei, Cody, and Davis, and have finally agreed on when we're going to the Digital World," TK said. "I know you had no say in it now, which was not what we intended, but as soon as we got the green light from the others, we knew we had to push on."

It felt like Ken's whole world just imploded. They had all agreed on a date? They were actually going to the Digital World? Was Ken even included in this?

"It was very difficult to get any of you to agree, and Kari and I don't really know why, but we want to be here for you all," TK continued. "If you don't want to go, then we won't push you. We agreed on this Saturday morning."

It was as if Ken's breath had been stolen away. With wide eyes he stared at TK, who nervously was worrying his bottom lip between his teeth. It was a distraction, for now, because how was Ken supposed to fathom this? They had not said anything at all, and suddenly it was this coming Saturday? It was too quick. It gave Ken no time to prepare. He could say he didn't want to go, but where did that leave him? Left here stuck at home, while the others would go out and find what had happened. He could not leave them to do so by themselves.

"I'm sorry I sprung this up on you. I wanted to tell you sooner, but I wasn't sure how," TK admitted.

Ken's eyes finally flickered down, instead staring at the black tie loosely hanging around TK's neck. "Who else are going?" he whispered breathlessly.

"Just the old gang," TK answered, trying for another smile. "Yolei, Cody, Davis, Kari, me, and you if you want to go." His hand reached for Ken's again, and Ken wanted to pull back, really did, and yet he didn't. He let TK lace their fingers together and squeeze his hand softly. He found bright blue eyes searching in his for an answer on how Ken was feeling, but Ken wasn't entirely sure either.

"How… uhm." Ken was having a hard time finding the right words to ask his questions. The silence they usually shared really was a lot better. "How are we getting there?"

TK's free hand landed on Ken's thigh, thumb rubbing soothing circles over his pants. "We'll use Izzy's computer at his office. It's the safest place for us to go through a portal and Izzy said he'd keep an eye out on us." They had already arranged so much. The only thing they really still needed to do, was ask Ken. "And I asked my mom to come pick you up on Saturday. We'll drive to Izzy's office together, and then she'll take you back home once we're done." His smile turned a little wider as he spoke next, trying another way to make Ken feel better. "She already said it was alright, because then she finally really had a day off from work. So really she would owe us one."

The light-hearted joke did make Ken's heart flutter. Not because it was funny, but because TK had even arranged all that. TK had taken care of everything before he had told Ken about it. Maybe to make sure Ken had no reason to say no. But Ken decided it was because TK wanted things to be as easy as possible for Ken. "Thank you," he whispered, his heart finally calming down. "I think it would be okay to go," he decided.

That small smile was back on TK's lips, his eyes sparkling with relief. "I'm glad, and no matter what, I'll be there for you."

Ken looked down at their entwined hands, trying a squeeze of his own for a change. It was an odd sensation but receiving a squeeze back right away did make Ken feel a lot better. Knowing there was such comfort right there next to him. "Will you hold my hand then too?" Ken said, teasing tone staining his voice as a shot a lopsided smile TK's way.

"I'll hold your hand through anything if you need me to."

...

So in the next chapter they are obviously going to the Digital World and... see what happened. I'm guessing you already have a clue... But still :D


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